Senior Political Reporter - EXTEND

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent, Full-time
DEPARTMENT: BBC South Today
LOCATION: Southampton (Hybrid)
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: £41,200 - £50,000, depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

We are happy to discuss flexible working. If you would like to, please indicate your preference in the application - though there's no obligation to do so now. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

BBC EXTEND

This role is advertised as part of our BBC Extend programme for disabled people. To apply for this role you should identify as deaf, disabled or neurodivergent and must meet either the definition of disability in the Equality Act (2010) , or the definition of disability in the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) if applying in Northern Ireland. You're broadly defined as disabled under both acts if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative or adverse effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. This definition includes both apparent and non-apparent conditions and impairments, and medical conditions such as Cancer, HIV or Multiple Sclerosis.

We are committed to making the process of applying for this role as accessible as possible. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the application process, or have any questions about our Extend programme, please contact .

The BBC are fully committed to providing workplace adjustments to help eliminate barriers in the workface that disabled people face. To do this, we have our own dedicated BBC Access and Disability Service that provides assessments and support throughout employment with us. If you are successful in applying for this role and require workplace adjustments, we will work with you to get your adjustments in place.

If you'd like more information on BBC Extend, please visit the BBC Extend webpage. (EXTEND code: EX2324).

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Do you live and breathe politics? Do you thrive on the big political stories that happen on your doorstep and how the decisions taken in Westminster affect us locally?
We're looking for an ambitious new member of our team to report on the big political stories from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. We're proud to be a multi-platform newsroom, where you'll be delivering stories on TV for BBC South Today, for our digital services and for our radio stations (BBC Radio Solent, BBC Radio Berkshire and BBC Radio Oxford).

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

You will be building on the BBC's strong connections with the communities we serve, where our storytelling is closest to the audience, and you'll be joining a creative and supportive team, with a strong internal culture. In this role, you'll be looking to ensure the political stories you report on reach as many people as possible, through our television output, our digital and social media content and through our radio stations. This role involves varied working hours and may include some evening and weekend working.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT

• You'll work as part of a multi-skilled team, reporting on a range of political stories for television, digital and radio.
• You'll be able to draw on a wide range of sources for story ideas, and you'll deliver original stories which surprise and engage listeners and readers in creative ways.
• You'll need a real passion for creating powerful video by understanding our local audiences and what matters to them. You'll also have a flair for writing great scripts.
• We're looking for individuals with a high level of reporting experience across both television and digital platforms.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• If you have a passion for politics and the ability to look at stories from diverse perspectives, and if you're bursting with creative ideas, we want to hear from you.
• You'll have substantial experience of journalism and reporting, with strong editorial judgement.
• You'll have the great people skills needed to collaborate with colleagues across our local platforms.
• You'll be able to demonstrate an understanding of the key issues in the world of both local and national politics.
• You'll also have an excellent knowledge of the BBC's editorial guidelines, a thorough grasp of impartiality as it applies to our output, and good knowledge of broadcast law.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we would love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

Disclaimer

This job description is a written statement of the essential characteristics of the job, with its principal accountabilities, incorporating a note of the skills, knowledge and experience required for a satisfactory level of performance. This is not intended to be a complete, detailed account of all aspects of the duties involved.

Please note: If you were to be offered this role, the BBC will conduct Employment screening checks which include Reference checks; Eligibility to work checks; and if applicable to the role, Safeguarding and Adverse media/Social media checks. Any offer made is conditional on these checks being satisfactory.

The BBC is committed to redeploying employees seeking suitable alternative employment within the BBC and they will be given priority consideration ahead of other applicants. Priority consideration means for those employees seeking redeployment their application will be considered alongside anyone else at risk of redundancy, prior to any individuals being considered who are not at risk.

Information at a Glance

This is your BBC

At the BBC you can create and innovate in an inclusive environment while contributing to some of the world's best loved content, and the BBC's mission to inform, educate and entertain.

Find out more about the BBC

Life at BBC

Here you will benefit from:

• Fair pay and flexible benefits including a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week, 25 days annual leave with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pensionscheme and discounted dental, health care and gym.
• Excellent career and professional development.
• Support in your working life, including flexible working which you can discuss with us at any point during the application, selection or offer.
• A values-based organisation where the way we do things is important as what we do.

Benefits may vary if you are joining on an FTC basis or on an orchestra conditions contract.

Learn more about life at the BBC and our values in our candidate pack.

Candidate pack You belong

We have a working environment where we value and respect every individual's unique contribution, so all our employees feel that they can belong, thrive and achieve their full potential.

We want to attract the broadest range of talented people to join us. The more diverse our workforce, the better able we are to respond to and reflect our audiences in all their diversity.

We welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief.

Find out more about diversity, inclusion and belonging in our strategy below.

Diversity, inclusion & belonging strategy Disability confident

We are a disability confident employer. If you need to discuss adjustments or access requirements for the interview process, or to carry out this role, please contact us via email and we'd be happy to discuss:

BBC Group and Public Services, Broadcasting House, Portland Place, London, United Kingdom, W1A 1AA. BBC Studios Distribution Limited, company no: , registered address: 1 Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane, London, United Kingdom W12 7FA.